Rupert Murdoch's Wine Is Going to Be All Right Despite Fire

Rupert Murdoch's vineyard in the ritzy Bel-Air neighbourhood of Los Angeles suffered minor damages to its vines after a fire erupted nearby.

Murdoch, the billionaire who controls 21st Century Fox Inc., also lost some wine. No one was hurt.

"We are beyond grateful for the efforts of all the firefighters who saved lives and property," Scott Rich, the winemaker at Murdoch's Moraga Estate, said in a statement posted on Twitter. "In my experience vineyards can act as a firebreak so that may have helped us."

Since the harvest was completed two months ago and the vines are dormant, future production shouldn't be affected by smoke from the fire, Rich said.

Wildfires have been sweeping Southern California this week, forcing closures of highways and schools as well as the loss of hundreds of structures. While the bulk of the damage occurred in Ventura, California, about 60 miles northwest of Los Angeles, the so-called Skirball fire has been burning on land near Murdoch’s property.

The 16-acre Moraga Estate, acquired in 2013 for $28.8 million, was in an evacuation zone. Murdoch and wife Jerry Hall occupy a 7,500-square-foot house on the property. The home wasn’t damaged, Rich said.